Eating healthily step 1 - learn the Nova Food Classification System

Eating healthily step 1 – learn the Nova Food Classification System

October 21, 2024
nutrition
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Christophe

The NOVA Food Classification system was designed by Centre for Epidemiological Studies in Health and Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. If you’ve read Ultra Processed People by Prof. Chris van Tulleken, you’ll recognise the name as it’s the system he talks about at length in his book. It is designed to help you to quickly and easily spot the ultra-processed foods that are so harmful to health. If you do nothing else for the health of you and your children, simply creating a rule-of-thumb where one avoids all Nova category 4 foods will massively improve health.

Why do we need the Nova system?

It’s no surprise to discover that the modern ‘Western diet’ is creating an obesity epidemic – a largely preventable chronic disease – along with many other life-limiting health problems such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders (such as osteoarthritis), and cancer. But it’s not always easy to spot which foods are ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for you. The Nova system simplifies the identification of ‘bad’ foods helping make better food choices.

Why use the Nova system instead of, for example, the USDA (United States Drug Administration) Food Pyramid?

Even the US Government admits that they are lobbied by some very powerful organisations. It has introduced some legislation to disclose which organisations are lobbying and how much they’re spending, but the effect of lobbying, in terms of the actual influence they have, can’t be measured and isn’t disclosed. Lobbying can be a way for corporations to protect their businesses and maintain their influence. Corporations that donate to election campaigns have greater access to legislators. A cynical reader may even consider ‘lobbying’ is just a legal form of bribery and corruption! The USDA Food Pyramid has sadly been influenced by economic & political decisions as opposed to purely providing the best best food advice. Some of the highest spending food and beverage companies in the US include PepsiCo, The Kraft Heinz Co., General Mills Inc., Tyson Foods Inc., Nestle SA, Conagra Brands Inc., Mars Inc., and Campbell Soup Co. You may notice that these companies all produce ultra-processed foods and not much else.

Alternatively, the NHS Eatwell Guide is good, but it’s not easy to figure out ‘on the fly’ what is good and not-so-good when it comes to food – especially when you’re in the supermarket. Also, it would be very naïve to imagine that the UK government is immune to lobbying.

The NOVA classification groups food products based on how much processing they have been through

Group 1 – Unprocessed or minimally processed foods
Group 2 – Foods processed in the kitchen with the aim of extending their shelf life. In practice, these are ingredients to be used in the kitchen such as fats, aromatic herbs, etc. to be kept in jars or in the refrigerator to be able to use them later.
Group 3 – Processed foods. These are the foods obtained by combining foods of groups 1 and 2 to obtain the many food products for domestic use made up of a few ingredients
Group 4 – Ultra-processed foods. They are the ones that use many ingredients including food additives that improve palatability, processed raw materials (hydrogenated fats, modified starches, etc.) and ingredients that are rarely used in home cooking such as soy protein or mechanically separated meat. These foods are mainly of industrial origin and are often characterized by things like a long shelf life and hyper-palatability

Nova group 1: Unprocessed or minimally processed foods

Unprocessed (or natural) foods are edible parts of plants (seeds, fruits, leaves, stems, roots) or of animals (muscle, offal, eggs, milk), and also fungi, algae and water, after separation from nature.

Minimally processed foods are natural foods altered by processes that include removal of inedible or unwanted parts, and drying, crushing, grinding, fractioning, filtering, roasting, boiling, non-alcoholic fermentation, pasteurization, refrigeration, chilling, freezing, placing in containers and vacuum-packaging.

These processes are designed to preserve natural foods, to make them suitable for storage, or to make them safe or edible or more pleasant to consume. Many unprocessed or minimally processed foods are prepared and cooked at home or in restaurant kitchens in combination with processed culinary ingredients as dishes or meals.

Examples of foods in this group include:

Fruits and vegetables: Fresh, frozen, or dried fruits and vegetables, such as apples, bananas, oranges, strawberries, blueberries, spinach, kale, carrots, broccoli, and bell peppers
Grains: Cereals like wheat and rice, oats, grits, and pasta
Legumes: Beans and lentils, such as chickpeas, black beans, and kidney beans
Dairy: Milk, yogurt, and natural cheeses
Meats: Fresh meats, such as chicken, beef, pork, and fish
Eggs: Eggs
Nuts and seeds: Almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds
Spices: Crushed spices

Nova group 2: Processed culinary ingredients

Processed culinary ingredients, such as oils, butter, sugar and salt, are substances derived from Group 1 foods or from nature by processes that include pressing, refining, grinding, milling and drying. The purpose of such processes is to make durable products that are suitable for use in home and restaurant kitchens to prepare, season and cook Group 1 foods and to make with them varied and enjoyable hand-made dishes and meals, such as stews, soups and broths, salads, breads, preserves, drinks and desserts. They are not meant to be consumed by themselves, and are normally used in combination with Group 1 foods to make freshly prepared drinks, dishes and meals.

Examples of NOVA group 2 foods include:

Cooking oils: Olive oil, coconut oil, and sunflower oil (note: unprocessed oils are best such as extra virgin olive oil)
Natural sweeteners: White sugar, brown sugar, honey, and maple syrup
Salt: Table salt and sea salt
Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and white vinegar
Spices: Cinnamon, paprika, cumin, and turmeric
Some condiments: Ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and soy sauce
Other: Butter, lard, and salted butter

Nova group 3: Processed foods

Processed foods, such as bottled vegetables, canned fish, fruits in syrup, cheeses and freshly made breads, are made essentially by adding salt, oil, sugar or other substances from Group 2 to Group 1 foods.

Processes include various preservation or cooking methods, and, in the case of breads and cheese, non-alcoholic fermentation. Most processed foods have two or three ingredients, and are recognizable as modified versions of Group 1 foods. They are edible by themselves or, more usually, in combination with other foods. The purpose of processing here is to increase the durability of Group 1 foods, or to modify or enhance their sensory qualities.

Examples of NOVA group 3 foods include:

Canned vegetables, fruits, and legumes
Salted or sugared nuts and seeds
Canned fish
Cheeses
Some fresh breads
Alcoholic beverages like beer, cider, and wine

Nova group 4: Ultra-processed foods

Ultra-processed foods, such as soft drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, reconstituted meat products and pre-prepared frozen dishes, are not modified foods but formulations made mostly or entirely from substances derived from foods and additives, with little if any intact Group 1 food.

Ingredients of these formulations usually include those also used in processed foods, such as sugars, oils, fats or salt. But ultra-processed products also include other sources of energy and nutrients not normally used in culinary preparations. Some of these are directly extracted from foods, such as casein, lactose, whey and gluten.

Many are derived from further processing of food constituents, such as hydrogenated or interesterified oils, hydrolysed proteins, soya protein isolate, maltodextrin, invert sugar and high-fructose corn syrup.

Additives in ultra-processed foods include some also used in processed foods, such as preservatives, antioxidants and stabilizers. Classes of additives found only in ultra-processed products include those used to imitate or enhance the sensory qualities of foods or to disguise unpalatable aspects of the final product. These additives include dyes and other colours, colour stabilizers; flavours, flavour enhancers, non-sugar sweeteners; and processing aids such as carbonating, firming, bulking and anti-bulking, de-foaming, anti-caking and glazing agents, emulsifiers, sequestrants and humectants.

A multitude of sequences of processes is used to combine the usually many ingredients and to create the final product (hence ‘ultra-processed’). The processes include several with no domestic equivalents, such as hydrogenation and hydrolysation, extrusion and moulding, and pre-processing for frying.

The overall purpose of ultra-processing is to create branded, convenient (durable, ready to consume), attractive (hyper-palatable) and highly profitable (low-cost ingredients) food products designed to displace all other food groups. Ultra-processed food products are usually packaged attractively and marketed intensively.

Websites

Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Eating (book)

Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy By Walter Willett, MD, DrPH, is a book that aims to give the kind of general nutritional advice to society that he wishes the US Government had given in its Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It intends to reduce the risk of common health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes via a diet that is low in animal fats, red meat, and refined carbohydrate, and enriched in plant fats, whole grains, vegetables and fruit, poultry, fish, and eggs.

Walter C. Willett, M.D., Dr. P.H., is Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. This book is the highest scoring nutrition book on Red Pen Reviews overall for scientific accuracy, reference accuracy, and healthfulness. It’s an easy-read with a huge section on recipes at the end.